North Carolina Crimes: Laws & Penalties

Here you will find information about common crimes in North Carolina, their penalties and possible defenses.

If you or someone you know has been charged with a crime in North Carolina, you'll want as much information as possible about the crime and
its consequences. What does the prosecutor have to prove in order to
get a conviction? What's the sentence; is it a range, and what factors
might affect a judge's decision to impose a lower or higher sentence?
Most importantly, are there any legally recognized defenses to this
charge?

The articles on this page give you this information for specified North Carolina crimes. If you want to read the laws themselves, you'll find
citations to them (see "Looking Up the Law," below, for tips on how to
find the law online). But most of the time, our summaries will give you
what you need.

Be sure to understand that no legal article is a substitute for a
knowledgeable criminal defense attorney, who regularly practices in your
area. The "letter of the law" is only your strating point. Working with
your attorney, you should come to understand how the amount and quality
of the evidence in your case will affect your options, which may range
from attempting to get the case dismissed, to negotiating a plea, to
going to trial.